[Update: Both Roes and Vaught went on to win Run Rabbit Run in course record times. We’ve got abbreviated Run Rabbit Run results at the end of this article.]

The fourth running of the Run Rabbit Run 50 mile begins at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, in Steamboat Springs, on what is set to be a classic, fall Colorado day. The maximum capacity crowd of 190 racers will begin their day at the 6,900’ base of Steamboat Ski Mountain in clear, chilly weather with morning lows hovering around 40 degrees. Runners have 9,000’ of climbing throughout the day, cross the Continental Divide and eventually reach the turnaround at 10,500’ on Rabbit Ears Mountain.

The 2010 race is now part of the Montrail Ultra Cup series for 2010/2011, resulting in even more high caliber racers than usual, including Team Montrail’s own Joelle Vaught and Geoff Roes.

Joelle Vaught and Geoff Roes before the 2010 Run Rabbit Run 50 mile.

Joelle Vaught
Vaught, who has been with Team Montrail since 2007, drove in from her home in Boise, Idaho, and is excited to run a trail and race course she’s never experienced.

“I have no expectations for the run, except to go out and have fun,” says Vaught. “Now that I’ve finished a 100-miler (referring to her recent seventh place finish at Western States 100), 50-milers don’t seem so bad.”

Vaught, who has 50-80 mile training weeks, prefers big climbs and doesn’t feel as strong on the flats, so she’ll see what the day brings.

“I used to do more cross training, but now that I’m sponsored, I’ve been doing more running,” says Vaught. “I also feel more pressure to perform well.”

In addition to her top ten finish at Western States, Vaught was the first-place woman at the Way Too Cool 50k, first-place woman (setting a course record) at the Silver State 50/50 and took first at the abbreviated Pocatello 50, which was cut short due to inclement weather.

When Vaught isn’t on the trails, you can find her spending time with her husband, son and dog, enjoying the outdoors and working as a neuro-diagnostic technologist at St. Lukes Hospital in Boise. After Run Rabbit Run, her next big race is The North Face Endurance Challenge in December.

Geoff Roes
Roes, who recently moved to Boulder from Alaska, is in town to enjoy the beautiful scenery and trails.

“Depending upon the trail and conditions, I expect to be on [a 50 mile] course between 6 and 9 hours,” says Roes. “It just depends, but I want most of the climbing done before the temperature makes it to 80 degrees.”

Roes won Western States this year and set a new course record of 15:07:04. He’s also won the American Rive 50 Mile and TNF Bear Mountain 50 Mile, where he set another new course record.

“I feel weaker going into the Run Rabbit Run than I have any other race in the past two years,” says Roes. “I travelled to France for the UTMB and caught a cold, plus had an unfulfilling race experience.”

With two weeks to reacclimatize to the altitude and dry air, Roes plans to start running in the morning and see how he feels.

“This is my second season with Team Montrail, and it’s been a great experience,” says Roes. “It makes it easy to get excited when you love the product—I’ve finally found the shoe I wear to train and race.”

Vaught and Roes will both be racing in Montrail Mountain Masochists.

2010 Run Rabbit Run Results
These are all unofficial results via a collection of third party sources.